Although his trademark call to Git-R-Done has taken him around
the world, Dan Whitney is still a PBR lovin’ cowboy at heart.
By John Zinskey
Larry the Cable Guy
Dan Whitney sits backstage at the Rabobank Arena in
Bakersfield, Calif., while a packed house of fans wait anxiously
for his comedic persona, Larry the Cable Guy, to take the
stage. It’s a familiar scene for Whitney. Over the past four
years he’s sold out enough arena shows to join the ranks of
Andrew Dice Clay, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor,
and his comedic idol, Steve Martin, as one of the top-grossing
stand-up comics of all time. It’s easy to imagine that this sort
of meteoric success would change a person—especially someone
who was raised by a country preacher in the rural town of
Pawnee City, Neb.—yet despite his success, Whitney remains
the same football-loving, rodeo fanatic family man he’s always
been. He takes a dip of Berry Skoal and elaborates on his career
philosophy.
“People base success on how money you make, but I think
it’s simply doing what you love to do,” he says.
For the past 22 years, Whitney has done just that. In 1986, his
buddies dared him to go on stage for the first time to do his
stand-up act. He almost chinnickened out, but when he saw a performer—
a seasoned comedian, no less—bomb right before he
himself was to take the stage, Whitney realized his own material
was funnier, and so he went out and did his thing. From
that moment he was hooked on making people laugh.
The creation of Larry the Cable Guy is a testament to
Whitney’s creativity, as well as his persistence in getting
heard.
“I called into more than 20 radio stations every day for 13
years,” he says. “I’d do different characters on-air for just a few
minutes at a time. I’d call from home, on the road, in hotel
rooms, from phone booths, anywhere.”
One of those call-in characters was Larry the Cable Guy.
Before long, stations were calling him to do the bit with the
slow, southern drawl. He developed a fan base through the
radio stunts, and a few fans even started following him on the
road to hear his stand-up act. Soon he was billed as Larry the
Cable Guy, and his signature call to “Git-R-Done” became a
popular catchphrase.
Dan whitney addresses the crowd at a PBR event
Timing is everything in comedy, and Whitney placed himself
in the right place at the right time when he got a call to play
“The History of Country Comedy” show at Nashville’s famed
Ryman Auditorium, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. There were
strings attached, however. The gig offered no pay, and
Whitney would have to pony up for his own airfare. He didn’t
think twice.
One day while filming the show, Whitney needed a high profile
actor to do a cameo for a skit, so he walked to the stage next
door where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were filming the
movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Whitney asked Pitt if he would do the
cameo, he agreed, and after filming the skit Pitt thanked the
cast and crew by saying, “Git-R-Done everyone.”
Despite becoming famous as Larry the Cable Guy, and even
more so for his catchphrase, Whitney stays grounded in his
Nebraska roots.
His father was a preacher and a Paint Horse dealer, and
Whitney often rode to church on horseback. He was raised
around livestock, and was a good hand even at a young age.
Around the cattle sale barn, he was known as little Danny
Whitney. He was infatuated with cowboys, and grew up watching
Hopalong Cassidy, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and John Wayne
movies. Rodeos were a way of life, and he looked up to stars
such as Chris LeDoux, Donny Gay, and Lane Frost.
Years ago, well before Whitney created Larry, he was a radio
personality for a morning show on a local Orlando station,
WDIZ, and was hosting a remote special at Club Rodeo, a
Central Florida country bar, when he met Professional Bull
Rider Tater Porter.
“We kind of hit it off,” Whitney says, “and we remained
friends.” No sooner did they meet than their respective
careers started taking off.
In 2000, Porter finished third in world standings and, more
importantly, was the PBR World Finals event champion.
“I would be lying if I said there wasn’t tears in my eyes,” says
Whitney, who now owns half a dozen world class bucking
bulls, including reigning World Champion Chicken on a
Chain. “I was so dog-gone proud of him.”
Their successes—and the PBR itself—grew at a phenomenal
rate, though Whitney is quick to point out that the similarities
end on the arena floor. “In my field I wasn’t going on stage
with bolts in my knee and numb fingers. If I was it wasn’t from
riding bulls, it was from eating too much. His legs were numb
from getting run over by a bull and mine were numb from a
Porterhouse and two baked potatoes.”
Today Whitney co-owns four bulls. In June, he and Porter
co-hosted a PBR event in Orlando, Fla. He also sponsors an
impressive lineup of cowboys, known as the Git-R-Done Pro
Rodeo Team. In Whitney’s eyes, it’s just another way to help
people do what they love.
“Cowboys don’t kick back and wait for luck to happen,” he
says. “They go out and try to win every night. Helping them out
with expenses is my way to help them pursue their dreams.”
Whitney is also a die-hard fan of Nebraska Cornhuskers football.
During the season, he adjusts his tour schedule so he never
has to miss a home game, which he enjoys from a luxury box. He
knows most of the players and the coaches personally, and
often stays after each game to greet fans and sign autographs.
On the road, Whitney often brings along his wife, Cara, and
their two children, son Wyatt, named after Wyatt Earp, and
daughter Reagan, named after the president Whitney most
admires. Although his normal touring routine is centered
around his decked-out, Western-themed tour bus, he still
finds ways to have fun.
His favorite thing to do these days is to take advantage of the
massive sound system that is set up for his act. Whitney, who
grew up listening to a steady diet of country music and heavy
metal, is able to live out a childhood fantasy of being a rock
star a few hours before the comedy begins.
“Now that’s fun,” he says. “Cranking up the music loud and
air guitaring to it on stage all alone in a huge auditorium is
pretty amazing. I even put on a long-haired wig to get the
whole effect going.”
Whitney’s music career might have a questionable future,
but as far as comedy goes his star is still shining bright. He
says he might slow down at some point once his kids start
school, but for now the fans keep him going.
“I have the best fans in the world,” he says. “I love meeting
them in person, whether it’s at a meet-and-greet or in line at
Wal-Mart. They are good-hearted, hard-working Americans
who are honest, who like to have a good time, and love to laugh.”
As long as he’s making them laugh, Whitney is right where
he wants to be.
